Comments on: Dead and Dying Yew Hedges and Trees http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/ Hedging plants, bare root hedge plants, evergreen hedges. Tips tricks, advice and trivia Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:02:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: julian http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-2438 julian Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:00:59 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-2438 Hi Jon The usual way to reduce the height and width of a yew hedge is to do it in three stages over three years. In year 1 you cut one side back pretty much to the main trunk in the middle of each yew. In year 2 you cut the top off to the height you want to reduce the yew hedge to. In year 3 you cut the other side back as you did side 1 in year 1. This gives each part of the hedge a change to start to regrow before you chop more off. It also means that your yew hedge is never "not green". I am not sure if this is what you have started to do or not. If you have taken all the greenery off, I am afraid you will have set the plants back quite a bit as all plant life, (yew included) needs foliage to breathe, photosynthesise and so create the materials that allow it to grow. Taxus is as tough as old boots so I doubt you will have killed your yew hedge, but I would advise against taking any more off it until it has a coat of green again. Then give it another year to fully recover and adjust its shape as I have outlined above. Good Luck Julian Hi Jon
The usual way to reduce the height and width of a yew hedge is to do it in three stages over three years.
In year 1 you cut one side back pretty much to the main trunk in the middle of each yew.
In year 2 you cut the top off to the height you want to reduce the yew hedge to.
In year 3 you cut the other side back as you did side 1 in year 1.

This gives each part of the hedge a change to start to regrow before you chop more off. It also means that your yew hedge is never “not green”.

I am not sure if this is what you have started to do or not. If you have taken all the greenery off, I am afraid you will have set the plants back quite a bit as all plant life, (yew included) needs foliage to breathe, photosynthesise and so create the materials that allow it to grow.

Taxus is as tough as old boots so I doubt you will have killed your yew hedge, but I would advise against taking any more off it until it has a coat of green again. Then give it another year to fully recover and adjust its shape as I have outlined above.

Good Luck

Julian

]]> By: Jon Jefferies http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-2437 Jon Jefferies Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:52:21 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-2437 Hello Julian... I wonder if you can advise me please. I have just cut back a large yew hedge, reducing its height and width considerably. It's now naked (no green). There are large areas of very dry brittle twigs. I assume these are dead but I'm reluctant to remove them as they give shape to the hedge. Do you think new healthy growth would replace these twigs if I remove them? Thanks Jon Hello Julian… I wonder if you can advise me please. I have just cut back a large yew hedge, reducing its height and width considerably. It’s now naked (no green). There are large areas of very dry brittle twigs. I assume these are dead but I’m reluctant to remove them as they give shape to the hedge. Do you think new healthy growth would replace these twigs if I remove them?
Thanks
Jon

]]> By: cheryl taylor http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-2092 cheryl taylor Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:19:13 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-2092 Hi I have a yew tree 20yrs started yellowing leavea can you please help never had this before conditions for tree have not changed thank you. Hi I have a yew tree 20yrs started yellowing leavea can you please help never had this before conditions for tree have not changed thank you.

]]> By: Edward http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1971 Edward Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:23:27 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1971 Hi Sharon, Could you send me some photos, please? edward@ashridgetrees.co.uk Hi Sharon,
Could you send me some photos, please?
edward@ashridgetrees.co.uk

]]> By: sharon http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1958 sharon Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:18:04 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1958 Hi Edward I've been trying to find an answer to a problem similar to Lisa (on May 11th), but I don't know if my hedge has scale insect. My hedge surronds my front garden and goes down the side of my houst and is about 1.5 metres high. I noticed small white miniscule 'grains' or rice on the majority of the leaves as well as almost completely covering the bark. There are a few brown ones on a small % of the leaves. Last year I sprayed the whole hedge with Provado Ultimate bug killer a few times as per the instructions. The white bugs weren't removed from the leaves but the turned to powder when I scaped them with my finger. However my front hedge lost all it's leaves in one part and I now think this is dead as it hasn't recovered this year. The white bugs are still there so it all looks terrible. I check it regularly and now the bugs have come back as they are stain orange when squashed. Is there anything else I can do or use that might get rid of them for good? Hi Edward
I’ve been trying to find an answer to a problem similar to Lisa (on May 11th), but I don’t know if my hedge has scale insect. My hedge surronds my front garden and goes down the side of my houst and is about 1.5 metres high. I noticed small white miniscule ‘grains’ or rice on the majority of the leaves as well as almost completely covering the bark. There are a few brown ones on a small % of the leaves. Last year I sprayed the whole hedge with Provado Ultimate bug killer a few times as per the instructions. The white bugs weren’t removed from the leaves but the turned to powder when I scaped them with my finger. However my front hedge lost all it’s leaves in one part and I now think this is dead as it hasn’t recovered this year. The white bugs are still there so it all looks terrible. I check it regularly and now the bugs have come back as they are stain orange when squashed. Is there anything else I can do or use that might get rid of them for good?

]]> By: Edward http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1949 Edward Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:14:48 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1949 Hi Carole, Sorry we can't help on this one, if you could send me some photos at edward@ashridgetrees.co.uk we might have some idea. It's too late for a feed to help those leaves and it does sound as though shade & humdity could be the cause here - has the hedge been sprayed with water sprinklers? Is it underneath a tree? Best, Edward Hi Carole,

Sorry we can’t help on this one, if you could send me some photos at edward@ashridgetrees.co.uk we might have some idea.
It’s too late for a feed to help those leaves and it does sound as though shade & humdity could be the cause here – has the hedge been sprayed with water sprinklers? Is it underneath a tree?
Best,
Edward

]]> By: Carole http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1905 Carole Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:23:53 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1905 Hello, Having read all the problems, ours doesn't seem to appear! A 9 year old yew hedge has suddenly developed two plants where the leaves on one side have a coating of what looks like green alga(?) and then drop. It is happening about half way up a one and half metre high bush on the shady side. We have had dry spring then wet summer and our soil is clay with flints. Would nitrogen rich fertilizer and foliar feed help, or should I look for root problems? I would be so pleased if you could help Carole Hello,
Having read all the problems, ours doesn’t seem to appear!
A 9 year old yew hedge has suddenly developed two plants where the leaves on one side have a coating of what looks like green alga(?) and then drop. It is happening about half way up a one and half metre high bush on the shady side. We have had dry spring then wet summer and our soil is clay with flints. Would nitrogen rich fertilizer and foliar feed help, or should I look for root problems?
I would be so pleased if you could help
Carole

]]> By: Edward http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1884 Edward Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:15:03 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1884 The murderous midnight micturition. The murderous midnight micturition.

]]> By: prissypie http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1881 prissypie Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:42:23 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1881 Thanks to all for your help but my neighbor figgered out my problem. Seem by Bonny husband gets up in the middle of the night and takes a leak in the yard on my Yews. Thanks to all for your help but my neighbor figgered out my problem. Seem by Bonny husband gets up in the middle of the night and takes a leak in the yard on my Yews.

]]> By: Edward http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/dead-and-dying-yew-trees-and-hedges/comment-page-2/#comment-1817 Edward Tue, 17 May 2011 13:21:45 +0000 http://blog.ashridgetrees.co.uk/?p=20#comment-1817 Hi Lisa, If you have the labour force to do it, go round by hand and scrape off the adults wherever you see them. There's no need to kill them, they can't move, but some will have eggs under their shields, so it's best to collect them in a bag and throw them away afterwards. That will help, but you need to spray Provado systemic insecticide to get them all. It kills both the adults and the immature scale bugs, which crawl around like normal aphids and are harder to spot. It won't be cheap to spray so many plants. You need a windless day and and a good sprayer will help alot - borrow or rent one. Best, Ed Hi Lisa,

If you have the labour force to do it, go round by hand and scrape off the adults wherever you see them. There’s no need to kill them, they can’t move, but some will have eggs under their shields, so it’s best to collect them in a bag and throw them away afterwards.
That will help, but you need to spray Provado systemic insecticide to get them all. It kills both the adults and the immature scale bugs, which crawl around like normal aphids and are harder to spot.
It won’t be cheap to spray so many plants. You need a windless day and and a good sprayer will help alot – borrow or rent one.

Best,
Ed

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